Amongst the holy
places of various incarnations of Lord Shri Datta Guru, the most
praised one now a days is Akkalkot. It is one of the leading
communities with large number of followersof Shri Swami Samartha,
of Akkalkot. Legend Believed to be an incarnation of Shri
Dattatreya the name of this spiritual
master, popularly called Swami Samarth, is a household word in
Maharashtra and the region around. As this Perfect Master chose
to reside at a place called

Akkalkotfor 22 years
where he took Mahasamadhi (left his mortal body) in 1878, he is
also known as the Maharaj of Akkalkot, Akkalkot is situated in
district Solapur of Maharashtra state

of India

It is believed that Shri Swami Samartha appeared in
Akkalkot in 1857. The temple of Shri Nrisimha Saraswati
is of Dattatreya. So swami is believed to be the
incarnation of Lord Datta.

• His full name was Sripad Shrivallabh. He resided in
Akkalkot for around 23 years. Before he came to Akkalkot
he was in Mangalvedha. But no one can tell where he came
from.

The popular belief is that he came to Mangalvedha during
1838 and stayed there for 13 years. He used to stay in a
farm there. From Mangalvedha he stayed at Mohol for five
years, then he came to Solapur and finally to Akkalkot.

After he was sure that he had completed his worldly
duties and had guided his disciples rightly, he decided
to go for Samadhi. His disciple Chollapa accordingly
began to make arrangements. Finally he took Samadhi in
1878.

• One account put forth by devotees asserts that after
traveling in the Himalayas, the Swami sat in Samadhi for
three hundred years in a dense forest. He became
completely covered by anthills, and a large tree grew
beside him. Once a woodcutter came to the forest and
chose that particular tree for cutting. Laying his axe
first to the anthill, he was surprised to see blood
oozing from it. Pulling down the anthill, he discovered
the Swami beneath it.

• Roused from Samadhi, the Swami declared the incident
to be Divinely ordained as it was time for him to go
into the world and continue his mission. The Swami is
said to have then wandered for a hundred years,
performing many miracles, before appearing in Akkalkot.

The Swami was unpredictable, appearing mad to many, and
full of miracles. He loved his devotees with a great
passion, and like other Adepts of the Crazy Wise style,
he was paradoxically full of both human and Divine
qualities.

The Temple
A Temple was erected under the Banyan tree where he used
to sit. His footwear have bees kept there. Thousands of
his followers visit this place throughout the year.
Around 70 to 80 years after he ended his incarnations
his disciples and followers set up Ashrams all over the
India. The Samadhi Matha (Monastery), The Matha under
the Banyan Tree, Shri Balappa Matha, The Matha of
JoshiBua, Raja Rai Rayan Matha are the five famous
places connected to Shri Swami Samartha.